Includes bibliographical references (pages 370-373) and indexes.

Brass bands appeal to a broad range of musicians and audiences with an enormous repertoire, but they have enjoyed very little academic attention. Newsome (media, music and performance, U. of Salford) bridges this gap with an account of how brass bands served the public and created a robust subculture. He covers the major youth and adult competitions, the changes from the days of live bands to the inclusion of broadcasts and recordings, and the growth of banding in the UK, the US and Japan. Throughout one gets the impression that he, too, remembers watching his conductor break into happy tears after a competition performance.

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